Onkyo TX-SR608 problem... Low volume

[bimmer88]

A buddy of mine just bought one of these. I have had the TX-SR606(older model) for about 2 years and it's worked great so i recommended this newer model to him. I helped him wire it up and it sounds great but we have to turn the volume really high for it to sound right... On mine, I could just turn it up to 35 for regular listening volume and when I want to really blast it, i turn it up to 60... On his 608 model, I would have to turn it up to 60 for it to sound like it would on mine when it's at 35.... You can barely hear anything when it's at 35... We would have to turn it up to 90(max volume is 99) for it to be loud like mine on 60.... anyone else have this problem??? we're both running 5.1 systems.... I'm running Mirage Nanosats and he's running Definitive Technology Procinema 600's.... Thanks in advance for any help..

 

[anamorphic96]

Have you calibrated the system and adjusted for proper output levels. Did you run Audyssey ? How big is the room your friend is in ?

 

[bimmer88]

Have you calibrated the system and adjusted for proper output levels. Did you run Audyssey ? How big is the room your friend is in ?

excuse my ignorance....In which ways should we calibrate it?... how do we adjust output levels? We did run Audyssey... it's a pretty small sized living room.... mine is bigger... In intellivolume, we turned it up 12db(max allowed) and that helped a bit(not much), but that just doesn't seem like the right way to set it... that's actually for leveling out the outputs for each input right? When we ran Audyssey, it adjusted the speaker configuration, speaker distances, and level calibration for us already... What am I missing here? on my model, all we had to do was use the audyssey setup and all was working great...

 

[sholling]

excuse my ignorance....In which ways should we calibrate it?... how do we adjust output levels? We did run Audyssey... it's a pretty small sized living room.... mine is bigger... In intellivolume, we turned it up 12db(max allowed) and that helped a bit(not much), but that just doesn't seem like the right way to set it... that's actually for leveling out the outputs for each input right? When we ran Audyssey, it adjusted the speaker configuration, speaker distances, and level calibration for us already... What am I missing here? on my model, all we had to do was use the audyssey setup and all was working great...

Turn intellivolume back down to 0, rerun the audyssey setup to undo any other tweaking you may have done after running it the first time and then go into EQ and turn audyssey off and see how that works. What sometimes happens is that audyssey will poorly EQ a challenging room and you'll lose a ton of volume. I've seen it before. There's an article about a similar problem that the reviewer had with Yamaha's YPAO calibration system that explains what I suspect may be happening.

The YPAO system uses pink noise sweeps to map the response of the room at the listening position for each speaker. Pink noise delivers constant power per octave and the YPAO attempts to equalize the magnitude response accordingly. However, in attempting to achieve a "Flat" frequency response, this can have deleterious affects on impulse response and also reduce dynamic headroom in the amplifier if certain frequencies are boosted as opposed to being attenuated. If for example, the YPAO equalizes a +6dB gain centered around 3kHz, then the amplifier would be tasked to produce up to four times the power for that frequency band, thus reducing headroom and potentially causing compression, and/or distortion.

 

[fillup]

My dad and I just bought new Onkyo receivers to replace old ones. He bought the 608, and I bought the 808. The volume is lower on both at the same level than the older Onkyo receivers.

I think it has to do with these new receivers being THX certified - Reference Level on the master volume set to 82 (Absolute) or 0 (Relative).

One thing that helped a lot for me was to turn 'Dynamic Volume' on. I have mine set to 'Light'. When I turn this on, the volume immediately gets much louder.... 35 on the dial sound like 50-55 with it turned off.

You will need to turn THX 'Loudness Plus' to "Off", and set 'Preserve THX Settings' to "No" in order to use Dynamic Volume with the THX listening modes. Otherwise, Dynamic Volume will be automatically turned off when you switch to any THX listening mode.

I also noticed Audyssey set the speaker Levels a little low. I used a Radio Shack SPL meter to set them to 75db.

 

[bimmer88]

Going to go to my friend's house to try these suggestions... Thanks a lot guys!!

 

[bimmer88]

Didn't work. Anything 35 and under still sounds like whispers.

 

[sholling]

I could just turn it up to 35 for regular listening volume and when I want to really blast it, i turn it up to 60... On his 608 model, I would have to turn it up to 60 for it to sound like it would on mine when it's at 35.... You can barely hear anything when it's at 35... We would have to turn it up to 90(max volume is 99) for it to be loud like mine on 60.... anyone else have this problem??? we're both running 5.1 systems.... I'm running Mirage Nanosats and he's running Definitive Technology Procinema 600's.... Thanks in advance for any help..

Max on the volume knob on my 606 is 80.

 

[bimmer88]

Max on the volume knob on my 606 is 80.

My mistake. Max on this is 89.

 

[bimmer88]

any other ideas anybody??? Just doesn't sound right to me that this thing needs to be turned up to 60(2/3 of the way up) for regular listening volume... 60 on this is equal to 35 on my older 606 model... At max volume it's not even quite where we'd like it to be...

 

[sholling]

The only thing I can think of is to switch receivers and see if you still see a difference. That would eliminate speakers as a possible issue.

 

[Frans]

Ok, here are my €0.02. Note the Euro sign, so it might be just one cent tomorrow. I'm sorry in advance if it's n00b advice to you; just trying to help out.

- Check EQ settings. Turn any / all EQ-ing off

- Check mute and /or ATT settings (if any). Some receivers allow you to set mute to a manual level, such as -40 DB. Then again, this should show up on your display!

- Check / change the interconnects

- Try a different discrete input of the receiver / Try a different discrete output of your source device.

- Check if your amp isn't set to any bi-amp setting (called speaker-c with Marantz equipment) while you're not actually bi-amping / bi-wiring. Check if you're bi-sexual while you're at it.

- Try a different speaker pair (any other pair, really)

you didn't specify your source material. So here goes my best tip (that's €0.01 out of the €0.02 I'm throwing at ya)

- If you've connected a computer, iPod, or any other equipment with its own volume control: Turn the volume of these machines all the way UP. Then set the receiver volume accordingly. Please note: You can set the volume level of your sound card software as well as iTunes volume level. This means you've got a possible 3 volume settings, including the one on your receiver.

- Set sound card software to "headphone" or stereo mode. Many multi channel sound cards have DSP software settings to playback stereo as 5.1 music.

- Disable any DSP settings on your amp. Or playback the source material using a "direct source" setting of your amp.

- Many sources allow their own set of EQ / volume control. Make sure they are disabled. This is true for DVD players as well as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and other software / hardware.

- Check volume levels when listening to the internal FM/AM radio. Does it sound different from the other sources you're listening too?

 

[TLS Guy]

any other ideas anybody??? Just doesn't sound right to me that this thing needs to be turned up to 60(2/3 of the way up) for regular listening volume... 60 on this is equal to 35 on my older 606 model... At max volume it's not even quite where we'd like it to be...

The calibration of a volume control means nothing as a rule. Volume control tapers are all over the map. If you can get enough volume forget the numbers.

 

[chuckfast]

Onkyo TX-SR680 Volumne issues

I am finding the same volumne issue with my Onkyo TX-SR680. I have to turn up the volumne on my 5.1 past 40 to just hear it. Volumne on Zone2 seems fine, however with Zone2, I don't know how to view the volumne setting. Has Bimmer88 found a solution yet?

 

[jostenmeat]

I am finding the same volumne issue with my Onkyo TX-SR680. I have to turn up the volumne on my 5.1 past 40 to just hear it. Volumne on Zone2 seems fine, however with Zone2, I don't know how to view the volumne setting. Has Bimmer88 found a solution yet?

40 means nothing! It's totally arbitrary.

First, calibrate your system if possible, using SPL meter. Then set it to "relative" scale (if you have it), and not "absolute". 0 will then be the reference level (don't set it here though, you'll blow both the receiver and speakers).

I've been at around -11 MV lately, and depending on the movie, it's enough to induce ear ringing if you're not careful.

 

[psbfan9]

I have my Dynamic volume set to medium and loudness turned on. I also had some cracking and popping that I thought was coming from the receiver, but it was coming from my speakers. I would suggest double checking all cable connections. My 608 gets volume levels at 22, like you're getting at 60.

 

[P0mpey]

same thing

I am getting exactely the same thing happening, replaced my 606 this week with a 608 and having to turn up to 50+ to get any sort of decent volume out. Concerning that I have to go past 1/2 way to get any sort of audible volume out of the unit! I'm going to try these suggestions above though and see if they make any difference.

 

[savski]

Hi bimmer88,

I'm pulling my hair out with the same problem! I have tried the suggestions that followed your post but still no joy :0( Would really appreciate a response if you managed to sort the issue! Many thanks in advance.

 

[FirstReflection]

Two more thoughts:

1) Make sure the receiver is in 8 ohm mode and not in 4 ohm mode (which drastically reduces the amplifier's output). Read the manual to find out how to check this setting. From what I understand, some receivers are now shipping set in the 4 ohm mode rather than the 8 ohm mode (which always used to be the default). The reason for this change (from what I've heard) is to address the complaints about some receivers getting too hot, which was a common Onkyo problem when they were used to drive lower impedance speakers.

2) This is more for the OP than for the other people who have upgraded and noticed a dramatic drop in volume - make sure that you are using nice, thick speaker wire. At least 16 gauge and preferably 14 or 12 gauge. A lot of people unknowingly use extremely skinny 22 or 24 gauge wire, which can drastically increase the resistance in the speaker wire.

 

[mjcibor]

Low Volume

Has anyone found a good solution to this? I just bought the receiver. With my cd player connected thru the rca's, I had the volume up to 99. it was loud, but not 100 watts loud. I feel that somehow the output is being restricted.